I hate cleaning my floors, hate it with a passion and so I never vacuum even though it really should be done every two days or, thanks to mud and animals and splinters from the woodstove and hay I track in after feeding cows, this cabin looks like it’s got a dirt floor.

I had a wild fantasy about getting a robot vacuum take care of the problem for me, but could not rationalize spending that kind of money. I was tortured – the idea would not leave my mind and I struggled with a debate over whether I could manage to pay for a robot vacuum or manage my life without one. I went to the company’s website to daydream, and there, discovered they make a much cheaper version designed for shops and garages! And since my living situation is much closer to a shop or a garage than a house, I bought that one.

It is such a timewaster. I turn it on, and then sit, mesmerized, watching it do it’s magic for half an hour. Some might say I’ve been in the country too long, but it’s just awesome. I always run it when the animals are outside – though it’s quieter than a regular vacuum, most animals hate that kind of noise. But one day, my robot vacuum was sitting in a corner and Charlie pranced in and saw this strange new yellow round thing, explored it for a while, and figured out how to turn it on with his nose.

He practically dug a hole in the floor trying to get away from it, but after that very intense initial reaction, he was intrigued. He went back over to it and turned it on, and off, and on, and off, his ears pricked forward and his neck arched to attention, chasing it around as it scuttled across the floor. Now I have to hide it or he runs it all the time. At least I have clean floors.